


The final letter

by Accidental_Shipper



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angel Gabriel (Supernatural), Angst and Feels, Backstory, Character Death, Character Development, Confessions, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Soldier Gabriel, Soldier Sam Winchester, War, Young Gabriel (Supernatural), Young Sam Winchester
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:20:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26778010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Accidental_Shipper/pseuds/Accidental_Shipper
Summary: Gabriel delivers a final letter to Sam's girlfriend after the War.
Relationships: Gabriel & Sam Winchester, Gabriel/Sam Winchester, Jessica Moore/Sam Winchester
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

It was raining when the men were brought back home. All the soldiers were stuffed in one train to be brought to their destination. Gabriel was fortunate to find a more isolated compartment at the end of the train. Occasionally, he would hear soldiers talking amongst themselves. But for the most part, they kept quiet. It didn’t surprise him; even with Angels' surrender, the victory still was coaxed with unnecessary bloodshed that would leave scars embedded into the soldiers' consciousnesses.

They weren’t allowed to speak about the atrocities that occurred during the war, any letter sent to the soldier’s loved ones were immediately discarded by the commanding officers. Gabriel guessed that they wanted to preserve the idea that this war was the subject of nobility rather than genocide inflicted by both sides. He was lucky that he could sneak in Sam’s letter. He was even luckier that he could aboard this train at all.

Because in the eyes of these soldiers, he was the enemy.

It was ludicrous just how easily he could merge with the mortals by simply hiding his wings underneath his vest, just further proving the fruitlessness of this conflict.

Gabriel sighed heavily, suddenly weighed down by the events that took place. He placed his hands against the back of his head and watched the raindrops smudge the train’s window. It took some time before the memories started to resurface from his subconscious, and once they did, he closed his eyes and let them play like a recorded film.

***

It was only six months into the war and already the city of Denver was reduced to rubble. The few buildings that still stood were used for snipers to eliminate as many Angels as they could. Gabriel was assigned to get rid of as many of these snipers as he could and, for the most part, he was successful. It was only at the fifth building, did he run into trouble.

He managed to enter the building of his target after taking out the soldiers around the perimeter. Once he made it to the first floor, he saw the sniper back turned to him and reloading his rifle. Gabriel approached slowly, carefully he pulled out the knife from his sleeve and gripped it tightly.

But before Gabriel could stab him, the sniper quickly turned around and pointed the rifle at Gabriel. But Gabriel was quick; before the sniper had the chance to fire Gabriel, pulled the weapon from the sniper’s hands, and lunged forward. The sniper dodged his assault and punched Gabriel in the stomach, causing him to let go of the knife. Out of options, Gabriel swept the sniper’s legs, making him fall on the ground. Gabriel pinned him down and pulled out a small dagger from his back pocket. But before Gabriel could strike his neck, the sniper grabbed the blade with both hands. Gabriel pushed the down harder, but his opponent held a firm grip, not allowing the tip of the blade to touch the skin of his throat. Gabriel looked at his opponent’s eyes, seeing the intense determination and will, and grunted in frustration. But as they continued to look at each other, the sniper’s expression shifted. He looked at Gabriel attentively, almost like he was analyzing a detail.

After a moment, he muttered:

"Your eyes are beautiful."

Gabriel paused.

"What?"

The sniper continued to look at him.

"They're so human."

Gabriel didn't say anything; he could feel himself loosening his hold on the dagger, but the sniper didn't try to pull away.

Against his better judgment, Gabriel let go of the dagger and got off him.

The sniper didn't say anything; he got up and continued to watch Gabriel. He had the dagger in his hands, and Gabriel looked at him, seeing what he would do.

To his surprise, the sniper tossed the dagger onto the floor and brushed his hair back.

"This is ridiculous," he said.

Gabriel still didn't say anything; he continued to look at him in scrutiny. The sniper seemed to notice this.

"Well, this is awkward," he admitted, "I didn't expect this to happen."

"Why did you say that?" Gabriel demanded.

The sniper looked at him in surprise, almost like he wasn't expecting him to understand him.

"I don't know."

Gabriel narrowed his eyes, unsatisfied with the answer he got. The sniper scratched the back of his head.

"I'm Sam Winchester." he introduced, trying to be formal.

Before Gabriel could reply, he heard the sound of a bomb exploding. In a panic, Gabriel grabbed Sam and wrapped his wings around him just before the building collapsed down on them.


	2. Chapter 2

Gabriel stepped out of the train, along with the other soldiers. On the platform stood a crowd of anticipating loved ones who welcomed their soldiers home through warm embraces and tearful kisses. Gabriel watched as some of the men held small children in their arms while others gripped their relieved parents tightly. Different emotions circled the air, and it was hard not to feel overwhelmed by the intensity of it all. Gabriel looked at the picture of Jessica that Sam gave him and began scanning throughout the station. 

"Gabriel."

Gabriel turned around to a figure leaning against a brick wall, hiding away from the crowd around them. It wasn't Jessica. 

Gabriel looked closely at Michael and saw the slight expression of amusement in his features. His face stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the faces of the people around them. Gabriel wasn't sure if Michael gave any indication that he should come forward, but Gabriel cautiously approached him. He stopped when they were a meter apart. 

"I would say that it was nice to see you, but that would be a lie," said Michael. 

Gabriel narrowed his eyes, "What are you doing here, Michael?". 

Michael raised his eyebrows; he gestured towards the station, "The same reason why all these people are here."

"We're not family Michael, not anymore," replied Gabriel. 

Michael chuckled darkly, "And what makes you think you can make that call?"

Gabriel didn't reply; he just cautiously looked around him. 

"Are you sure you discuss this now?" he asked after a while. 

Michael looked behind Gabriel and noticed two soldiers looking at them in suspicion. He pulled Gabriel for a hug, much to Gabriel's dismay, and saw the soldiers look away. Against Gabriel's ear, he whispered: 

"Meet me at the bookstore in town, make sure you avoid the celebration." 

At first, Gabriel wanted to object. He already made a vow to himself that he would no longer obey to Michael's commands, but something told him to oblige, to listen to what Michael had to say. Just this once, he would trust his instincts. 

"Okay," 

Michael patted him in the back, "See you there."

As Michael left, Gabriel continued his search for Jessica, but as the crowd started to diminish, he soon realized that she wasn't in the station. He sighed heavily before putting the photo in his pocket and headed towards the bookstore. 

***

Gabriel felt the entire weight of debris on his wings as the building collapsed on top of them. He grunted in pain before realizing the soldier he had in his arms. Their eyes were closed, but not tightly, and their breathing was calm and rhythmic. 

Gabriel had no idea why he saved him; he could have just as flown away and let him be crush by the debris. 

_ Your eyes are beautiful.  _

Could Gabriel be so effortlessly persuaded by mere sentimental words? He wasn't sure. 

Gabriel stretched out his wings and pushed away from the debris that covered them. He put the soldier on the ground and looked at him closely; there was something familiar about him that he couldn't quite decipher. It almost felt like he was looking at someone from a distant past. 

The bombing continued, and the soldier was still unconscious. Gabriel knew he couldn't just leave him. He looked around and saw a dead soldier crushed under the debris; after a moment of hesitation, he walked towards it. 

***

Gabriel entered the bookstore and immediately saw Michael leaning against the shelf and reading a book. When he noticed Gabriel, he closed the book and put it back on the shelf. He didn't say anything until Gabriel stood next to him. 

"I thought I understood them," he said after a moment, "I thought I cracked their code, but how could I think that if I didn't understand my brother."

Gabriel didn't reply. 

"And something tells me you don't understand yourself either."

"How did you know where I was?"

"I saw your dog tag around the neck of another soldier."

Gabriel tensed. 

"There is no rational explanation as to why you took that risk."

"There is no rational explanation as to why you would start a war because of something you read," Gabriel replied. 

Michael smiled coldly, "There is no shame in wanting to run a little experiment."

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. 

"Do you still think that we could live among them?" asked Michael, unfazed by Gabriel's hostility. 

"What are we but humans with wings."

"Don't humiliate yourself further, Gabriel. You're already their enemy, don't become ours."

Michael got off the shelf and headed towards the door; before he left, he added to Gabriel: 

"I hope to see you soon, brother."

Gabriel pressed himself against the bookshelf; he felt his muscles loosen after Michael left. The door opened again, and he stiffened but soon relaxed when he saw who it was. 

"Jessica?"

***

Sam opened his eyes to the sound of gunshots in the distance. He noticed that he was being dragged across the pavement by a fellow soldier. Their arm held tightly around his waist, and they were moving at a steady pass, managing to move across the streets without being harmed. 

Sam sat down on the ground after they made it to an empty alleyway. The soldier helping him looked around to make sure that nobody was around. Sam was ready to thank him before he saw the soldier crouch down in front of him. 

Gabriel placed a hand against Sam's mouth before he could say anything.

"Are you okay?" he asked, hand still placed against Sam's mouth. 

Sam's eyes widened, and Gabriel took his hand away. 

"You're not supposed to be here." Sam objected

"You didn't answer the question."

Sam looked at him, trying to find the motive hidden underneath the concern. But he ended up looking into those eyes again. Sam could have sworn that beneath the whiskey color there was shimmering gold. He knew that he saw them before, but he couldn't remember where. 

"And you didn't answer that question either." interrupted Gabriel. 

"What?"

"Why did you compliment my eyes?"

Sam looked away in embarrassment. 

"I don't know; I guess I didn't think."

Gabriel tilted his head. 

"You're weird."

Sam chuckled in amusement, "You're quite strange yourself."

Just then, Sam's walky-talky turned on.

_ The Angels have retreated, Denver is ours. _

Sam looked at Gabriel, who didn't say anything.

"You need to leave."

"I can't anymore."

Sam gave him a pleading look. 

"They're going to kill you." 

"Only if they find out." Gabriel objected. 

Sam didn't say anything; he took off his helmet and put it on Gabriel. It was slightly too big. He then took some dirt and put in on Gabriel's face; Gabriel sneezed when some of the dust came up his nose. 

"The fact that you speak fluent English is a good thing; most Angels only speak Enochian." Sam said, "But it's better to be safe than sorry."

Sam gave Gabriel a stern look, "Don't do or say anything that would reveal who you're, you understand?"

Gabriel nodded. 

"Just stay close to me."

They exited the alleyway and saw the remaining soldiers standing around; nobody had expected the Angels to retreat so abruptly. It took the Major off guard, so much so that he wasn't sure what to do.

Once all the soldiers of the battalion have gathered in the city center, the Major gave his order. Tomorrow they would head further west towards the mountains. But for now, they would settle in for the night. 

Sam couldn't quite tell if this was good news or not. Sure they managed to claim Denver, but the suddenness of the Angels retreat felt suspicious. He looked at Gabriel and, based on his expression, expressed the same concern. 

"Hey, you."

Sam jumped when he heard a voice from behind him. He turned around to see one of the soldiers looking at them in scrutiny. 

Sam's heart picked up when the soldier approached them. From the corner of his eye, he could see Gabriel slowly reaching for the knife in his back pocket. 

"Where's your helmet?"

Gabriel let go of the knife.

"I lost it," Sam replied after a moment. 

"Well then, get a new one, we can't have soldiers running around here without a helmet."

"Yes, sir," he replied before sprinting away. 

Before Gabriel could follow him, the soldier placed a hand against his chest. 

"You stay here; help us bury the bodies."

"Yes, sir," Gabriel muttered. 

Gabriel watched as Sam sprinted away, wondering what compelled him to take such a risk of siding with the enemy. 

_ Your eyes are beautiful.  _

He hoped it wasn't just because of mere sentiments.


	3. Chapter 3

Heavy boots pressed down the snow as the soldiers marched up towards the mountains through the dense wilderness. Gabriel was fortunate that the snow didn't reach higher than his ankles; otherwise, he would have to deal with snow filling up the inside of his boots and soaking his socks. Although, judging by the greyness of the clouds above them, Gabriel knew that it wouldn't take long before the snow would pile up. 

The Angel's retreat still didn't make sense to him; it wasn't like Michael to do that; this was a considerable pullback for them, so why take the risk?

Gabriel looked at Sam, who was walking in front of him. Nobody had approached Gabriel. From what he heard, there are three different battalions brought to the battle of Denver. By this logic, one group might think that he belonged to the other one. And any evidence of the switch is buried underneath the ground. Gabriel stayed close to Sam, but they hardly spoke. Sam still didn't know Gabriel's name, and yet, it seemed like Sam would do anything to keep them safe. Reflecting upon this now, it's like this war brought many odd decisions. 

They continued to march in silence until one of the men spoke. 

"Are you seriously going to collect the feathers?"

Gabriel turned his head towards one of the soldiers who was tying an angel's feather to a piece of string. 

"Well, initially, I wanted to keep the entire set, but it's such a hassle cutting them off from their backs."

Gabriel felt his wings quiver underneath the fabric of his uniform. 

"That's disgusting."

Gabriel looked up to Sam's angered expression. 

The soldier finished tying the feather to the string before smirking at Sam. 

"Showing sympathy towards the enemy, Sam?" his expression darkened, "You didn't show such compassion when shooting their guts out."

"Screw you," Sam snarled. 

"What did you say, Winchester?" But before the soldier could step forward, Gabriel stood in between them. 

"Leave him alone," 

The soldier chuckled, "What's this? You're his boyfriend or something?"

Gabriel narrowed his eyes, and the soldier looked closely, "You have the eyes of a killer, so cold and focused. I bet you don't have any trouble cutting off their heads."

"I wouldn't have trouble cutting off yours."

The soldier grabbed Gabriel's shirt, but before anything happened. The sound of strong wind interrupted them. Almost black skies covered the sky, and soon they lost their vision to the fast traveling snow that pierced their skins like small knives. 

It was then that the first shot fired. 

The soldier that was grabbing Gabriel fell to the ground as a bullet pierced through his skull. Gabriel hit the ground, and the other soldiers pulled out their rifles and shot randomly at the trees. Gabriel tried to look for Sam during the chaos that ensued. But he couldn't see anything through the blizzard; he looked down on the snowy ground and saw it covered with blood. Dead bodies fell in front of him, and Gabriel could hear piercing shrieks and yells in the distance. He felt a hand grab his arm, and he turned around in terror before realizing it was Sam. Sam tried to pull him up, but a bullet hit his shoulder, causing him to let him go. Gabriel got up and caught him before Sam could hit the ground.   
The blizzard still blurred their vision, and the battle was still raging on. Bullets were firing everywhere; one bullet pierced through Gabriel's ear and cut off a piece. Black clouds covered the sky, but looking at them gave Gabriel an idea. He tore off his jacket and wrapped it around Sam's shoulder before opening his wings at full length. He took Sam around the waist and flew up towards the clouds. Winds blew in every direction, grappling with Gabriel as he continued to fly higher. But through his determination, he pierced through the cloud and into the open air. Gabriel let out heavy breaths as he looked at the sun in front of him. With his arms still around Sam's waist, he flew to the other side of the mountains to where there were no clouds and gracefully landed back to the earth. 

Gabriel let go of Sam before collapsing to the ground in exhaustion. Sam rushed over to him and lifted him off the ground. 

"We need to get out of here." 

"It was an ambush," Gabriel muttered. 

"What?"

"Michael planned this from the start; he sent our troops for slaughter."

He looked around fearfully, "We could have spread out the entire army across the forests." 

Sam looked around the dense wilderness and felt unnerved by the silence that followed. His shoulder was still bleeding, and Gabriel missed a piece of his right ear and was exhausted from using his wings. Sam knew that they couldn't survive against another ambush; even so, he was undeterred. He took out a pistol from his pocket and began to drag Gabriel with his arm around his waist. 

"We need to find cover," explained Sam, voice determined. 

They walked through the wilderness; eyes and ears fully alert for any danger. Until they spotted a small cave, and after inspecting it that nobody was inside, Sam then placed Gabriel on the ground and sat down in front of him. 

"We should be good here," said Sam. 

Gabriel nodded before raising his knees to his chest. Sam watched him closely and saw the fear written on his face. Sam thought about what the soldier told him that he had the eyes of a killer. But that was farther from the truth. He was good at covering it up, but Sam could tell that he was afraid. Not necessarily of death, but of what he has become. Sam saw that he never wanted this to fight like a monster. The man that sat in front of him was a man of integrity, not violence. Sam feared what the war would do to him. 

Without an explicit reason, Sam asked, "Hey, where are you from?"

He raised his head and said, "Kansas."

"Oh, me too, " replied Sam, "And do you have any siblings?"

"I have an older brother and a younger sister."

"I have an older brother too. He's a bit of a jerk."

He chuckled, "Same here," 

But his smile fell, "I feel like he has been preparing me my entire life."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Not when the preparation is war."

Sam slightly stiffened at the information.

"He told me that fighting was honorable, that only heroes performed it."

Gabriel stared at his knees, "He taught me to fight at a young age; he made this game where we would fight each other with wooden swords. He always praised me when I won." his expression darkened, "Like I was some well-trained dog,"

Sam tried to grip his shoulder but winced when he moved his arm. Gabriel looked at him before moving forward. He took away his jacket wrapped around Sam's shoulder and looked at the wound. 

"Don't worry, Kiddo; it's not that bad."

"Kiddo, huh?"

"Sorry," he said embarrassingly, "I had a childhood friend who I always called Kiddo. I never knew his real name, but we would always hang out in the woods together."

Gabriel closed the wound again with his jacket but paused when he realized that Sam was quiet. Gabriel looked at him and saw that his eyes were glazy.

Gabriel pulled back, "Sam what-"

"Gabriel?" Sam whispered, "Gabriel, is that you?"

Gabriel didn't say anything; he felt the tears roll down his cheeks, but despite that, he chuckled softly. 

"Yeah, it's me, Kiddo."

Sam smiled through the tears and leaned over to hug him, "I missed you so much,"

"I missed you too,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is going to be backstory.


	4. Chapter 4

_ 12 years ago _

Loud clanks erupted the silence of an afternoon summer as Michael and Gabriel clashed their wooden swords in the open field. 

"Make sure you don't leave any openings," reminded Michael as he pointed the sword towards Gabriel's abdomen, which Gabriel deflected. 

"I won't," promised Gabriel, trying to cut off Michael's defenses with quick strikes. 

"What is the war going to be like?" asked Gabriel, "You keep talking about it, but it doesn't sound fun."

They continued clashing their wooden swords as Michael spoke, "It's going to be an adventure, brother. Humans have these wars now and again to exert their inherent aggression. War is a glorious way for them to feel powerful."

"I don't feel powerful," remarked Gabriel. 

Michael struck Gabriel's feet with his leg and pointed the sword to Gabriel's chest when he hit the ground. 

"That's because you never win," replied Michael.

"That's cheating." Gabriel huffed. 

"There is no such thing as fairness in combat, brother. " Michael then offered his hand, which Gabriel accepted. 

"How about we stop training for today and head back home?" suggested Michael. 

Gabriel thought for a moment, "Actually, I want to stay here and train for a while. "

Michael raised his eyebrow, "You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Okay, let's-"

"Wait, hold on." interrupted Gabriel, "I want to train on my own."

"Why?"

"Because I can't perfect my secret techniques with you around, duh," Gabriel stated. 

Michael rolled his eyes, "Okay, fine, just make sure you don't stay out too long."

Gabriel watched as Michael walked away and let out a sigh of relief once he was far away enough. Gabriel felt that he always had to be on guard with Michael, always felt like he had to impress him in some way or another. Michael always spoke of an upcoming war that he was certain would come once Gabriel reached the appropriate age for combat. It's the reason why they trained like this. It wasn't exactly the type of sibling bonding that Gabriel was fond of, but he always obliged for the simple reason that he wanted to spend some time with his only brother. This explained Gabriel's desire to please him. 

Gabriel swung his sword around as he headed towards the woods next to the field. He hit a few trees and bushes until he reached a small and calm stream. He waited until a figure came from the bushes. After a while, a young boy came from the bushes and was holding a paper boat in his hands. He smiled when he saw Gabriel waiting for him. 

"So, what was your excuse this time?" he asked. 

Gabriel shrugged, "I told him that I had to work on my sword skills." Gabriel swung his wooden sword for demonstration. 

The young boy chuckled, "Are you ready?"

Gabriel took out a paper boat from his pocket, "Of course I'm ready, kiddo."

"I have a name, you know?"

"Doesn't matter if you do, as long as you are still a year younger than me, you'll always remain 'kiddo'" Gabriel joked. 

"It's just unfair since I know your name."

"That's because you saw my name engraved on my sword that I so carelessly lost that one time."

"I still don't get how you managed to lose it."

"I-" Gabriel paused, suddenly embarrassed by the prospect of telling the kid the truth. That he lost grip of it when he swung it a bit too hard, by the time he went to retrieve it, the kid had already found it.

"I just forgot it that one time." he ultimately said. 

"Sure," the kid replied, "Since you like calling me 'kiddo', it only seems fair that I call you 'shorty'. "

"You're only two centimeters taller than me." Gabriel reminded him. 

"You're still shorter, and besides, I'll grow."

"Pfft, like our height difference will become even more noticeable."

"Tell you what, if I win this boat race, I call you 'shorty' from now on."

Gabriel crossed his arms, "And if I win?"

"Then I don't. Seems fair, right?"

"Fine."

They placed their paper boats into the water and watched as they steadily went forward. 

It was hard to explain why Sam decided to become Gabriel's friend. When he found the sword, he had no idea it belonged to a high-ranking angel. And while there was no feud between the angels and the humans. They still held their prejudices. From what his mother told him, the angels liked to brag their wealth and seemingly superior ranking amongst the hierarchical structure, and angels weren't fond of sharing their space with lesser beings. And yet, Gabriel was different. From what he could tell, Gabriel was just a kind soul. It didn't matter if he was human or angel. When Sam met him, Gabriel was genuinely polite despite having a human in his presence. It was hard to explain why Sam went back to the woods the next day, but he was glad he did because Gabriel also came back for the same unknown reason. 

When Sam's boat reached the finish line- that was marked by a single branch halting the water flow - Gabriel let out a muffled groan. 

"Well, that settles it. From now on, you're 'shorty'."

Gabriel grumpily mumbled something. 

"What was that? Shorty." Sam joked. 

"You're mean," Gabriel whispered. 

Sam chuckled softly. He took the boats from the water and handed one of them back to Gabriel, "Maybe next time."

Gabriel looked up at him and realized that he was staring intently into his eyes. 

"What?"

"You have pretty eyes."

Gabriel looked down again, "Soldiers can't have pretty eyes."

"You're right; they can't. "

Gabriel clutched his hands, "I should go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, Shorty."

Gabriel playfully rolled his eyes before turning around and walking away. 

The kid is starting to get too close. He is practically reading him like a book. They wouldn't last, though; of course not, Gabriel knew that he wasn't allowed to have a normal life. A life that did not involve violence. 

Their friendship was bound to have a short existence, and it was. Because not even a month later, Sam would have to leave. 

_ A few hours earlier _

"I couldn't find him, sir."

Michael looked intently at the soldier he sent to find Gabriel after he grew unresponsive. 

"Does that mean he's missing?" Michael hissed. 

"It is possible, but-" 

Michael narrowed his eyes, "But?"

"It is possible that he switched sides."

Before Michael could interrogate him further, the soldier replied:

"I found his dog tag and some of his clothing on another soldier."

Michael nodded apprehensively, "Pull back the troops."

"What?"

"Pull back the troops." Michael spat, "We are heading to the mountains. And Ishim?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Make sure you give the men the poisoned bullets."


	5. Chapter 5

Gabriel lingered upon the embrace a bit longer. The warmth and protection he felt were somehow both foreign and familiar. He closely listened to Sam's heartbeat and felt a certain kind of calmness wash over him. Like a child listening to a lullaby sung by their mother. He didn't want to pull away, and for a moment, he thought he never would until he heard the soft tone of Sam's voice. 

"Quite an unorthodox reunion, don't you think?" 

Initially, Gabriel scoffed at Sam's remark. But then, apprehensively, Gabriel pulled him closer. 

"I could have killed you," he whispered. 

Gabriel could practically feel Sam looking down at him, but he couldn't find the will to return his gaze. Not until Sam gently lifted his chin with his fingers. 

Gabriel looked at him and recognized the sadness he had only ever seen once when Sam had to leave him behind. 

"But, you didn't." Sam finally said. 

Gabriel shook his head, "That is only because I- you caught me off-guard."

"Why do you keep trying to do that?" Sam asked.

"Do what?"

"Try to convince yourself that you're a bad person?"

"And you have made quite the habit of trying to change my mind," Gabriel remarked, with a surprising harshness to his voice. 

"I don't need to," Sam replied, "Because I know that somewhere you already believe me."

Gabriel looked away, "Sam, please-"

But Sam just caressed his cheek. Gabriel forced himself to look at him again. Somewhere in the distance, he heard the voices from his childhood. 

_ I have to leave.  _

_ please, don't- _

_ I don't have a choice.  _

But Sam refused to let him indulge in such misery because he said, 

"It's nice to hear you say my name."

Gabriel leaned into his touch, 

"I promise that it won't be the last time you hear me say it."

And with that, Sam almost looked hopeful. 

***

Gabriel clutched tightly the paper boat he had in his hands. He watched the calm stream in an attempt to ease his nerves. He didn't exactly know how he was supposed to feel; Gabriel wanted so desperately to see him, but somewhere Gabriel hoped that he wouldn't. In some twisted sense, Gabriel hoped that his friend would leave without saying goodbye because he convinced himself that it would somehow ease the heartbreak. 

And yet, Gabriel was relieved when he saw him coming from the bushes. 

"Hey, Shorty."

"Hey, Kiddo."

Sam pulled out his paper boat,

"Are you ready?"

"Of course, I'm ready."

***

"We told each other that we would meet up at the library when the war was over. There we would read poetry from Rilke and talk about what we missed," said Jessica as she brought Gabriel a cup of coffee. 

Gabriel graciously accepted the cup, "I'm sorry,"

"Don't be, "replied Jessica, "I should have known something was wrong when I didn't receive any letters from him."

"I hope that you didn't think that it was ill-intended,"

"Of course not," Jessica reassured, "I knew that they didn't want people to know about the war."

Gabriel studied the coffee he had in his hands.

"Sam was a good man, he-"

"Gabriel," Jessica interrupted, "When are you going to tell me how he died?"

"I just don't want to cause any more hardships."

"It's too late for that," she remarked, "All I want now is some closure."

Gabriel nodded his head in understanding; he took a deep breath. 

"We were the only ones that survived the ambush in the mountains. I was lucky enough to suffer a small injury to my ear," Gabriel showed his ear to demonstrate, "But, Sam he- he was shot in the shoulder."

"But surely that cannot be a serious injury." 

Gabriel didn't look at her. 

"If they were normal bullets, then no. But these weren't normal bullets. "

***

Sam and Gabriel watched as their boats flowed down the stream. The two boats went swiftly; no obstacles stood in their way. Sam and Gabriel chased them, momentarily forgetting their separation. They cheered and clapped until Gabriel's boat hit the branch first. 

"Congratulations, Shorty. You finally won, and your reward is this paper boat."

Gabriel took the boat from Sam's hands. The white color was somehow stained by blue marks. Before he could say anything, though, Sam leaned in and hugged him. Gabriel immediately latched unto him. 

"I'm going to miss you so much," he moaned. 

"We will see each other again someday."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I know that a goodbye doesn't mean forever."

***

Sam and Gabriel walked deeper into the cave as the sun began to set. Gabriel was still exhausted from using his wings, and Sam's shoulder was still bleeding. Though far less with Gabriel's jacket wrapped around it. 

"We should find a spot to call it a night; then tomorrow we are continuing West."

Gabriel nodded.

"We should also make a fire," Sam added, "Considering you don't have much on."

Of course, Sam was referring to the fact that Gabriel only had a t-shirt on. 

Again, Gabriel nodded his head. 

"Gabriel, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," replied Gabriel. 

"Why haven't you ever tried to reach me?"

Gabriel considered, "There were moments when I tried to run off and look for you. But, I just couldn't."

Suddenly feeling helpless, Gabriel added:

"I'm sorry I didn't try to look for you. I should have looked all over the country for you. But I didn't."

"You wouldn't have to- wait, you didn't-"

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, "Didn't what?"

Without warning, Sam laughed. Gabriel looked at him in utter confusion. 

"That's what I get for being discreet. All right, after this is all over. We are sending each other letters, no more confusion."

Gabriel continued to look at him in confusion but decided not to press on about it. After all, it was a reassuring thought that they would make it out okay. 

They walked a bit further until deciding to stop for the night. Sam took out the fire equipment and started the fire. They sat in silence for a few moments before Gabriel asked, 

"Why did you join the war?"

"Mostly financial reasons."

"Did you think that I would be here?"

"Honestly, I prayed that you wouldn't."

"Because you thought I would have died?"

"Because I hated the idea of you being forced into a role that was never fit for you."

They were silent.

"Did you think that  _ I  _ would be here?" Sam asked.

"Just like you, I prayed that you wouldn't."

"Because you thought that  _ I  _ would have died?"

"Because I hated the idea of having to fight you."

Again, they were silent. 

"You can sleep next to me if you want," suggested Sam.

"I'm fine, don't worry."

Sam nodded his head before laying down on the ground. Gabriel watched as Sam closed his eyes. Soon he did the same, drifting off in a sitting position. 

"Goodnight, Shorty."

"Goodnight, Kiddo."

**Author's Note:**

> Pretty Short for a first chapter, I'll admit. But I guarantee that there will be more to come in the next chapters.


End file.
